I got pretty much the exact same line- it wouldn't have been a problem if they'd told me in advance. In the end, it turned out the problem was with the insurance, so we covered the hire under my own insurance and it was all fine.

How would they know if you've applied? Are you supposed to show them a photo of the application form?

because if your license isn't complete (you turn up with only half of it for instance) they call the DVLA to verify you are licensed correctly to drive, - the DVLA will know if they are processing an application or not.

I got pretty much the exact same line- it wouldn't have been a problem if they'd told me in advance. In the end, it turned out the problem was with the insurance, so we covered the hire under my own insurance and it was all fine.

Huh.. she told me she couldn't even let me take the car at all, on the basis that as far as she was concerned I wasn't licensed to drive. Which is stupid since I have a piece of paper showing I'm licensed to drive until the mid 2040s.